In the middle of the forest lies a clearing, exactly in between the Human and Demon territories.

Few know why such a space exists. Maybe a fire brought about by lightning raged through the area. Maybe some sort of magic barrier was cast, preventing trees from growing inside. Either way, the grass-covered land had spanned enough space to form a small town.

A river ran through the north towards the south of the clearing, dividing the place almost perfectly into two. A dirt road emerged from one side of the forest, the western Human territories. A similar one came from the eastern Demon side. Both ran in a straight direction before they turned, finally running parallel to the river. At the exact center of the field, the two roads finally met, converging at a small but sturdy wooden bridge.

Two wooden structures rose from opposite sides of the river, each in front of the pathway. Their first floors were completely symmetrical to the other, a fairly common sight. Each had a door and a wooden sign with words painted in red. The second stories of the structures however, caused eyebrows to be raised.  The two were joined together on their second floors, that is, they were just one building.  Of course, that meant part of the second floor was hanging over the river.

The structure was an interesting sight to see, but a first-time visitor would ask: Why would someone even build something in the middle of nowhere?

That would be answered by the signage: The Neutral Inn.

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“Search for the attackers, and protect the caravan!” I shouted.

The normal routine of the night was interrupted by a bandit raid. We were fired upon by a barrage of arrows. I was told back then, one would get one attack ever two or three trips, but now, you had to prepare for two attacks per trip. People have fallen on hard times even after the war.

“They’re attacking from our east flank!” one of the guards I hired pointed to the line of enemies.

Just as he spoke, an arrow from the east hit him in the chest, right between the gaps of his armor, and he fell to the ground. Another guard dragged him behind one of the wagons. Our mage sprang into action and began to heal him.

“Sir, they’re attacking from the brush. We can’t pinpoint their exact location to shoot at.”

“Then, we don’t engage. Let’s just break the barricade and get out of here!”

“But sir, they may have a trap lying ahead of us!”

“I’d rather we risk that than turn into pincushions here. We’ll be safer the moment we cross the river into human-patrolled neutral territory!”

Our predicament started on our evening rush through the lawless neutral area when we were stopped by a wooden barricade blocking the road. Because the road conditions were narrow and our profits were directly related to the speed of our delivery, we found it difficult to decide to turn around and decided to attack the barricade instead. However, when we did that, arrows started raining down from the sky

“Our attacks aren’t working on the barricade!” one of the guards reported, “It must be fortified with magic or something.”

“We need to dispel it then,” I clicked my tongue, “For now, concentrate on shielding the horses from the arrows.”

Although the fact that they actually had it magically-enhanced means that they probably don’t have a trap ahead. Most merchant caravans don’t bother bringing a mage along, so I guess we have an advantage there.

I called to our mage and pointed to the barricade.

“When you’re done mending his wounds, go help them break it. I’ll stall for some time with the staff.”

She looked at me before nodding. I hurriedly ran to one of the middle wagons, avoiding stray arrows, and grabbed a staff. It looked ordinary, except from the fact it was made from obsidian, making it heavier than the usual varieties. The tip had a black orb attached to it, which emitted a faint purplish light.

Using merchandise before I sell it… It’ll definitely lower the price, but I have to.

“I’m going to use the staff. Ready yourselves!”

“Ready,” I heard the only female voice in the caravan reply.

I raised the staff into the air, before shouting.

“Tenebris!”

The black orb lit up brightly and a purple light shot from the rod. The light ascended until it reached a certain height, then it spread to the bottom, forming a hemisphere enveloping the caravan. It was as if an ebony curtain covered us, blocking even the starlight and moonlight. The aphotic interior was lit only by the glow from our own torches.

“Hurry and destroy that barricade! They may not see us, but they can still shoot at us!”

An arrow zoomed past above her head, knocking her white pointed hat  over and exposing her blond hair. She remained unfazed and continued to cast her spell.

“Discutio!”

As she spoke those words, the barricade broke apart into many pieces, littering the road. Seeing that the obstacle was destroyed, she motioned for everyone to get back on the wagons.

“Let’s go!” I shouted.

Everyone went to their usual positions, the wounded being placed in the back of our reserve wagon. The reigns were grabbed and the horses spurred. Suddenly, I heard the sound of glass breaking. I looked towards the source of the noise, which was in the direction of the bandits. I saw a hole piercing the hemisphere.  Cracks emerged from the gap and quickly spread throughout the entire structure. Light was trickling through the cracks. I mounted my own horse and joined the caravan as its tail. Hopefully, we would be long gone before our cover dissipates.

Something broke through a Staff of Erebus so easily? Did I get conned?

I looked at the staff I was carrying. The orb was still shining its purple light, indicating it was still functioning. The bandits probably had a mage with them, because of the enhanced barricade, but the effect of this staff shouldn’t be dispelled by anything but high level magic. Of course, there was the chance it was fake…

“Damn it! And I paid good money for this!”

“What’s wrong?” a voice asked me.

I turned to my side, and saw the mage right next to me. The petite girl wearing a white robe was tilting her head sideways and looking at me with questioning eyes. Her hat (which she had apparently recovered before mounting) was sitting snugly on her head.

“Ah nothing,” I replied, “Anyway, you stay a bit further ahead. We’re still not sure if the bandits will give chase. It’ll be dangerous if you get injured back here.”

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She nodded and spurred her horse forwards.

By now, our “smokescreen” had disappeared. Luckily, it seemed that the bandits didn’t follow us. We had gained quite a distance from them. Even if they decide to risk a pursuit, assuming they were on foot when they attacked us, it would take them quite some time to catch up.

Although due to the attack, I will have to compensate the injured… That would be more silver spent. Perhaps I could increase the price of my goods by some copper to compensate, but then which goods should I increase the price. Most likely the luxury goo-

As I was sifting through my thoughts, two large fireballs whizzed by me and hit the sides of the roads. The field we were in unsurprisingly caught on fire.

“Stay on the middle of the road! The fire won’t reach us if we do!” I shouted.

I looked behind me. Two men wearing black hoods and cloaks were both riding horses and quickly catching up. I saw one of them raise both of his arms. While keeping his balance, he muttered something under his breath. Two fireballs emerged from his hands. The two flames rotated in sync mid-air and seemingly fused together, forming a bigger blaze. That conflagration was barreling towards us.

We can’t avoid that if we stay on the road!

“Discutio!”

With those words uttered, the blaze disappeared instantly.

“Are you alright?” I heard that same voice mutter those words.

Contrary to my orders, the mage was still bestriding in front of me, not that I cared anymore given that she just saved me from a fiery demise.

“I’m fine, but more importantly, we need to stop them.”

She removed her hat and pulled out a small stick from it before replacing her hat back on her head.

“Let’s get serious?”

Seeing her pull out her wand, I immediately started to sweat. I shook my head severely and raised both of my hands, signaling her to lower it. Owing from previous experiences, I’d really rather not have her use her offensive magic lest I want collateral damage. I reached into one of my pockets and pulled out a small bag which I tossed to her.

We were going to use the non-magical approach to stop them.

“When I use the staff, pour the contents onto the road,” I instructed her.

I faintly heard the sound of running water indicating we were close to the river. Our pursuers would most likely launch an all or nothing attack here. Realizing that it was now or never, I raised the Staff of Erebus into the air once more.

“Tenebris!”

An opaque wall formed between us and our pursuers. Though it wouldn’t stop them from going through, it would hide what we would do next. Right on cue, the mage immediately emptied the contents of the bag. Multiple iron spikes rained down on the road.

“Caltrops?”

I gave her a thumbs up. The caltrops would at least slow the horses of our pursuers, buying us some time to reach a safe place. Although they were a bit pricey, it would have been much better considering the alternative.

The duo passed through the wall, and as expected, I heard the sound of horses neighing in pain. Stepping on something sharp would definitely hinder movement. They couldn’t catch up anymore, and if they tried to hit us with one of those flames, we would just dispel it anyway.

Right in the nick of time too, we’ve finally reached the bridge. If they had caught up to us when we were crossing it, we would be in trouble.

I sighed in relief as I saw the stone arch spanning the river.

“That’s not enough!” I suddenly heard the mage shout.

I turned around and gazed upwards. I saw two silhouettes formed by the moonlight, two creatures flying in the sky, a pair of bat-like wings. They were plowing towards us at an incredible speed.

Demons! Why are they attacking a human-only caravan? No, wait… Did they realize it?

I stared at the mage. She already readied her wand and was in a fighting stance on her horse. I reached into my pockets trying to pull out another weapon, but it was too late. Something had hit me forcefully, knocking me off the back of my mount.  The next thing I knew, I was up into the air.

Time slowed down for me. I extended the Staff of Erebus. The mage lurched forwards, trying to grab it. I watched as her arm desperately reached out. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth was agape, and her face was in shock. I realized that it was inevitable.

Don’t worry about me. Just get to safety.

I smiled to her.

But still, demons eh? At least this staff wasn’t a counterfeit after all.

I heard a splash. I was swept by the current of the river.

---

I opened my eyes and looked around.

I was lying on a bed in some sort of room with wooden walls and floor. Sunlight trickled through the window, warming my body. Next to the bed was a wooden chair and table. On it were my clothes and the Staff of Erebus.

… Wait, then what am I wearing?

I removed the blanket which was covering me. I was now wearing a set of… female clothes? Before I could react to it though, the door burst open.

“Good morning!”

A tall woman with shoulder-length black hair greeted me. She wore a plain brown woolen tunic and black trousers.  The sunlight from the window shone on her bright smiling face. Her sparkling black eyes gleamed, complementing her soft red lips. She was carrying a tray with a cup and a bowl of what looked to be porridge.

Plain yet beautiful…

“Oh, you’re finally awake? Then I don’t have to worry. Sorry about the clothes, by the way. I couldn’t find any spare, clean men’s attire,” she continued to speak, “After we finish our laundry though, I can ask my brother to lend you some.”

“I’m sorry, but where am I?” I asked her.

“Ahh pardon me for not saying it first...”

She paused for a moment, before bellowing at the top of her lungs.

“WELCOME TO THE NEUTRAL INN!”

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